That's what Jesus said.
Ever since writing my last blog post about how stressed and anxious I was feeling, the Lord has blessed me with so much peace about this whole process. I don't know if people just started praying for me when they read that blog or if putting the words on paper made me realize just how crazy I was being, but either way, I feel much better now.
Food isn't unappetizing, sleep is…..well, crazy, but my sleep always is, and to-do lists are slowly but surely getting checked off. I took an idea from a friend, Kris, to put an important-stuff to-do list of the refrigerator and check them off as I go, and it really has been satisfying! My pancake fundraiser went well, and I was so, so grateful to have such an amazing team of people help serve, and so many supportive friends and coworkers show up!
So here is a nice, big, resounding THANK YOU to any and all of you who silently said a prayer for me after reading my last blog, who have prayed for me regularly, and who have sent me encouraging messages and emails. When people tell me of a time that they felt similarly and how the Lord taught them so much, I feel that much more excited of letting go and letting God work.
You know how you can read a passage in the Bible and get something different out of it every time depending on where you are in life? This is what I have found myself experiencing over and over again just in the preparation phase….I can not WAIT to see how the Lord speaks to me through His word while I am experiencing so much crazy new stuff on this journey!
This is what is so exciting about the Bible. Sometimes people consider it to be kind of a dry, outdated, nonspecific story/rule book. It can sit on a shelf for years collecting dust, maybe occasionally getting skimmed around weddings and Christmas, but otherwise not being thought of often. But the remarkable thing about the Bible is that it is the written word of GOD Himself, and He constantly uses it to open our hearts to hear the Holy Spirit telling us something! Can you even fathom a more important document? The power of the truth residing within those pages is unmatchable.
Here is the thing: the Enemy of Christians HATES it when we read the Bible. lose a point for his team when we do (ha!). God, on the other hand, is THRILLED at our attempts to understand what He has said and to allow Him to continue speaking to us through it, if we would only let Him! No need to be a hero about it….I am much more a fan of reading 6 or 7 verses and really figuring what they are saying and why exactly God decided to put it in His book, than of trying to take on many chapters at a time. It can be intimidating for sure, but the more I do it, the more I love it.
So in light of my long reading-the-Bible-is-really-awesome-you-should-try-it rant, let me tell you just two verses that God has already re-drawn my attention to:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
There is this awesome book called Abba's Child that reminds us that once we accept Christ, He is with us always and He has given us His peace. Even when I don't feel peaceful in any given moment, deep down inside me the peace of Christ is sitting there just waiting to be recognized and called forth. It never leaves….we just fail to acknowledge it sometimes.
OK now I know I am going in backwards order here, but it just works for me this way….the verse right before it:
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you of all things and remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26
Sometimes I get all envious of people that got to actually see and know Jesus, or at least meet people who had. It would be so much easier to understand the truth of Jesus' comforting presence if I could just know what He looked like and what His demeanor was like, I'll think. But recently God has been reminding me of this verse more and more. Jesus in the flesh may not still be here, but the Holy Spirit is constantly at work in and around me.
These two verses are particularly resounding for me lately. When reading them, I remember that I have the Peace of Christ inside me somewhere just begging to be called upon, and I know that this Peace will accompany me throughout my trip. And I also remember that the Holy Spirit, which I am beginning to think deserves a lot more acknowledgement than we give Him, is just a-hangin out all around me telling me how to proceed with life and saying "Watch this!" as He intervenes and makes things happen.
I thank the Lord for the Peace He gives me, and for His Spirit who is here to remind me of that Peace. I would be a spastic, hysterical mess if it weren't for the comfort He provides me with.
Please continue to pray for people to heed the call of the Holy Spirit if He calls them to support me financially. So many people have been so, so kind and generous so far, and I am sincerely thankful! I have over $2,600 in my AIM support account and it needs to be at $3,500 by October 1, and the Lord is providing beautifully in many ways. Closer to when I leave I will write a blog about support raising and the truly amazing stories it is already producing….can't wait to share with yall the many ways that God has said "Exhibit A, Bethany….you never even would have expected money to come from this source, but I have had it planned all along. I've got this under control." 🙂
I hope some of you remember this old hymn….this is a beautiful version by Matthew Smith. How true and appropriate it is in all of our lives!
